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OMAHA, NEBRASKA - USA
Omaha is the largest city in Nebraska. It is the county seat of Douglas
County6. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 390,007.
Located on the eastern edge of Nebraska, it is on the Missouri River, just
north of where the Platte River runs into the Missouri. Omaha has several
small suburbs including Bellevue, La Vista, Papillion, and Ralston which
brings the year 2000 metro area population to just over 600,000. An
additional 58,000 people reside in Council Bluffs, Iowa across the Missouri
River.
History
The Trans-Mississippi Exposition was held in Omaha from June 1 to November
1, 1898. The exposition drew over 2 million visitors and involved
construction of attractions spanning over 100 city blocks including a
shipworthy lagoon, bridges and magnificent buildings.
A devastating tornado ripped through Omaha in 1913 and has become known as
the Easter Sunday Tornado.
The Omaha Riot occurred in 1919.
The Omaha Tornado of 1975 is another grim day in Omaha's past.
U.S. President Gerald Ford was born in Omaha. However, he only spent his
early childhood there; he was adopted by a family in Michigan and grew up
there. Omaha was also the birthplace of Malcolm X, but his family moved to
Milwaukee when he was one year old.
Omaha Beach is not in Omaha, but rather was an Allied WWII code name for a
beach in Normandy.
Arts, culture and attractions
Omaha has one of the best-endowed community theaters in the United States,
and is home to Girls and Boys Town; its Henry Doorly Zoo is widely
considered one of the premier zoos in the world.
A portion of Omaha's renovated Downtown area is known as the Old Market. It
it home to a myriad of shops, restaurants, bars and art galleries. There one
may find uneven brick roads, horse drawn carriages, and street performers.
Major music groups include the Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, Mannheim
Steamroller and 311. The Joslyn Art Museum has significant collections,
particularly of Native American art and art works relating to the early
European exploration of western North America.
Omaha continues to earn mention in many popular songs: see Songs about Omaha.
An increasing number of movies about Omaha have also been made.
Media
Radio Stations
AM
1110 KFAB (Clear Channel affiliate) proudly broadcasts 50KW worth of talk
radio every day, slight conservative slant, though features liberal shows as
well.
1290 KKAR a highly conservative News-Talk station.
FM
89.7 the River plays contemporary alternative music and is based out of Iowa
Western Community College in Council Bluffs.
Classical 90.7 is a public classical-format station based out of UNO. It
features Blank's Morning Blend, the highest-rated classical morning
drive-time show in the country.
Z-92, 92.3 FM, is home of the famously coarse radio jockeys Todd-n-Tyler.
Q98.5 features modern popular music.
Retro 106.9 features 80's and early 90's music.
Hot 107.7/97.3 features modern hip-hop and r&b music
Television Stations
KMTV 3 Local CBS affiliate
WOWT 6 Local NBC affiliate
KETV 7 Local ABC affiliate
KPTM 42 Local Fox affiliate
Print
Omaha World Herald, the primary local newspaper
The Reader is an independent weekly newspaper quicky gaining popularity
Omaha Magazine
Economy
Although Nebraska's economy is agricultural based, Omaha's economy is based
in banking and technology and is growing quickly.
Omaha is the home of the headquarters of a number of major corporations,
including:
Ameritrade
Berkshire Hathaway
ConAgra Foods, Inc.
First National Bank of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha
Omaha Steaks
Sitel Corporation
Union Pacific Railroad
Woodmen of the World
West Corporation
Military
The Omaha metropolitan area is home to Offutt Air Force Base, which was the
location of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the Cold War and is the
current home of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).
Sports
Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium is home to the Omaha Royals minor-league baseball
team and hosts the annual NCAA College World Series.
The Omaha Beef Arena Football team is also gaining in popularity.
Education
School Districts
District 66, a small school district whose only high school is Westside
Millard School District, serving the Millard area; its high schools are
Millard North, Millard West, and Millard South
Omaha Public Schools, the primary city school district; its high schools
include Central, Burke, Bryan, North, Northwest, and South
Papillion-La Vista Public Schools
Ralston Public Schools, another small school district, mainly serves Ralston,
with several grade schools, one middle school Ralston Middle School, and one
high school, Ralston High School
Omaha has a number of Catholic and parochial high schools, including Skutt,
Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, and Creighton Preparatory School
Brownell-Talbot School, Omaha's only independent school, intended to provide
a college preparatory education; offers all grades, including preschool and
K-12; the state's oldest school, founded in 1863
Colleges and Universities
University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO)
Creighton University
Metropolitan Community College
Geography
Omaha is located at 41°15'38" North, 96°0'47" West (41.260482, -96.012990)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
307.9 km˛ (118.9 mi˛). 299.7 km˛ (115.7 mi˛;) of it is land and 8.2 km˛ (3.2
mi˛;) of it is water. The total area is 2.67% water.
Neighborhoods and Suburbs
Bellevue
Chalco
Florence
La Vista
Millard
Papillion
Ralston
Boys Town
Transportation
Omaha's Eppley Airfield serves much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.
Eppley is situated near the Oxbow Lake Carter Lake, which is part of Iowa,
cut off by the Missouri River on March 16, 1877.
The primary mode of transportation in Omaha is by car, with I-80 providing
major freeway service. Public transportation is popular as well, however.
Metro Area Transit performs bus services while several taxicab companies
pick up the rest.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 390,007 people, 156,738 households, and
94,983 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,301.5/km˛
(3,370.7/mi˛). There are 165,731 housing units at an average density of
553.1/km˛ (1,432.4/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 78.39% White,
13.31% African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific
Islander, 3.91% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. 7.54% of
the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 156,738 households out of which 30.0% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 43.8% are married couples living together, 13.0%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% are non-families.
31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.42 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the city the average age of the population is diverse with 25.6% under
the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to
64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years.
For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and
over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $40,006, and the median
income for a family is $50,821. Males have a median income of $34,301 versus
$26,652 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,756. 11.3% of
the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 15.6% are under the age of 18 and 7.4% are
65 or older.
Famous people from Omaha
Johnny Carson, talk show host/entertainer
Fred Astaire, dancer, actor
Marlon Brando, actor
Gerald R. Ford, U.S. president
William Jennings Bryan, politician/orator
Malcolm X, civil rights activist
Warren Buffett, billionaire investor
Henry Fonda, actor
Montgomery Clift, actor
Peter Fonda, actor
Gayle Sayers, pro football hall of famer
Bob Gibson, pro baseball hall of famer
Ahman Green, pro football player
Nick Nolte, actor
Conor Oberst, singer-songwriter of musical groups Bright Eyes and
Desaparecidos
The members of rapcore band 311
J. Joseph Ricketts, billionaire
Walter Scott, Jr., billionaire
Swoosie Kurtz, actor
Chip Davis, founder of Mannheim Steamroller
Gabrielle Union, actor
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